1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic head slider suspension assembly for supporting a head slider in coacting relationship, through an air bearing surface, onto the surface of a rotating magnetic disc, and more specifically, relates to a magnetic head slider suspension assembly for supporting a head slider in a single or multi-disc rotating assembly wherein the head slider suspension assembly includes, in the preferred embodiment, a pair of spaced, raised load rails which extend in the same direction as that of a head slider operatively attached to the head/slider loading end. In one embodiment, the height of the load rails may vary from a predetermined height near the head/slider loading end of the central arm section to a selected height near the support end. The load rails define an outer edge that can be of a uniform height, a continuously tapered edge, a stepped edge, or a combination of a stepped edge and tapered edge. The structure of the outer edge permits the adjacent head slider suspension assembly to be moved into an unloaded position wherein the surface of the load beam, located opposite to the surface supporting these load rails, coact at the head/slider loading end. This enables adjacent head sliders to be deflected towards each other and away from the rotating disc surface during insertion and removal of the magnetic head slider suspension assembly, having head slider attached thereto, into and from single or multi-disc rotating assemblies. The amount of deflection at the head/slider loading end is not influenced by the height of each of the load rails at the head/slider loading end.
2. Description of Prior Art
The use of a magnetic head slider suspension assembly for loading and unloading a head/slider onto a rotating disc is known in the art. One such magnetic head slider suspension assembly is used in the IBM standard 3370 Type Suspension Assembly.
Certain of the prior art magnetic head slider suspension assemblies include an elongated slider arm having a central arm section, or a load beam, and a pair of spaced, uniform height, raised load rails which extend in a direction away from the head slider operatively attached to the head/slider loading end. The spacing between co-axially aligned rotating discs, in the prior art multi-disc rotating memory assemblies, are typically in the order of 250 mils (6.35 mm). The above-described raised load rails, having uniform height of about 30 mils (0.76 mm), are used to provide stiffening of the load beam which supports the head slider suspended therefrom onto the rotating disc surface. In the prior art devices, sufficient spacing exists between adjacent surfaces of rotating disc to accommodate movement of the head sliders from a "loaded position" that is where the air bearing surface of a head slider is positioned to fly over the surface of the disc, away from the disc surface into an "unloaded position", that is where the head slider is positioned away from the disc surface. The head sliders are positioned in the " unloaded position" during insertion and removal of the head sliders from a multi-disc rotating assembly in order to prevent the head slider from contacting the surface of a magnetic disc. In applications having limited disc spacing, the uniform height, raised load rails of the prior art devices limit the degree of movement or rotation of the magnetic head slider suspension assemblies between the "loaded position" and the "unloaded position".
The prior art magnetic head slider suspension assemblies include uniform height, raised load rails which extend substantially perpendicular from the central arm section or load beam, and which extend from the central arm section in a direction opposite to the direction of a head slider operatively attached to the head slider loading end. In such applications, the load rails function as a stiffening member at all times during unloading a rotating disc. During operation the load rails restrict movement of the head slider loading end of the head slider supporting the head slider since the head/slider loading end cannot be deflected any further than the height of the uniform load rails.
It is also known in the art for the head slider suspension assembly to have a pair of spaced parallel tapered load rails which extend from the elongated arm in a direction opposite to that of the head slider operatively attached to the head/slider loading end. Such a structure permits larger displacement of the head/slider loading end where the same is moved into an "unloaded position". Due to the reduction in the height of the load rails at the head/slider loading end, a head slider suspension assembly having tapered height load rails is also smaller in size than the prior art, uniform height load rails.